Hourglass
by MeLikesROFL
Summary: When time doesn't rewind, and looking to the past doesn't give you the future, there are many choices to make. Sometimes, you can adapt. But you can't really change who you are.


A/N: I'm… sorry? I didn't mean to, but this sudden flew out of a rainbow. So here ya go!

I don't own Zettai Karen Children, nor my beloved KHR. And surprisingly, this fic doesn't need any warnings. Yay~

* * *

Beautiful blue orbs stared up at the bright sky above, wondering.

The calm feeling in her chest felt entirely surreal, with warm sunlight shining gently on her.

Looking down, she noted with mild surprise that her clothes changed into a simple white summer dress without sleeves, plain except for simple pink embroidery around the edges. A classy pair of brown shoes adorned her feet, comfortable yet sturdy enough to run around in.

The grass around her were lush and green, full of life. Her footsteps in the grass left mild indents, but nothing more. They would soon spring back upright in no time at all.

As her calm rose and ebbed, tinged with a mild edge of panic, she forcibly shoved it into the back of her mind.

'One step at a time,' she told herself.

It worked after all.

Remembering the utter warmth and devotion she felt at what was an eternity ago and yet none at all, she felt a smile pulling at her lips.

She let it go, freely skipping around the gentle meadow as she enjoyed her freedom, at long last.

/.

Time passed, and now the clouds are grey.

'Just like his eyes,' she mused to herself.

She always did wonder, did everyone fare well together, in the end?

Her pink ribbon always felt warm against her skin. Always present, always reminding.

But it was no longer quite as heavy as before.

Because now she had new people to protect, to shelter from the storms nature brought to them.

She stood up, facing the war-torn battlefield with wizened eyes. Her plain brown cloak fluttered in the wind, dusty and faded with all the prolonged exposure to the elements.

Worn but still-sturdy black boots took a step forward.

They called her the Wingless Angel.

/.

Helicopters zoomed across the skies, deafening noises adding to the cacophony of sounds.

Chaos was everywhere, as guns raged and screams of agony echoed its twin over and over.

Nowadays, it wasn't so rare to hear of humans killing monsters.

Monsters, which still called themselves human.

As sad azure orbs watched man fighting against man, steel and concrete bending to angry thoughts and murderous intentions, guns blazing in return, she quietly pondered.

What makes a man, a man? What makes a man, a monster?

She should know more, seeing as she fought against a white monster once.

But the answer is not so simple indeed.

/.

It took an innocent to remind her of the truth.

An innocent, who gave everything she had to end up with a bullet in her chest.

For her friends,

To stop a madman bent on destroying the world.

She blinked away the tears from her eyes when her pupils came into focus. She swore to herself that this is one death that-will-never-be.

Crouched in a refugee tent, dirt crusted on her face, she sat and she planned.

/.

:A little more to the left!:

She barely twitched away in time. Electricity crackled into life, nearly burning off her face mask before she managed to tranquilise the hidden guard in the underground vents.

She privately swore in her mind, as a small group of men and women she trusted to hell and back stormed into the building with her.

Quickly disarming a guard and gently placing him behind a cracked pillar, they soon covered the floor.

It nearly wasn't enough to prevent the building from descending in chaos in the aftermath, but hey, they managed.

And if it was one less questionable research project by the NORMALS, it was worth it.

/.

It was a small price to pay, to get the treaty and trade deals signed and delivered across continents in exchange for a lightning network of white scars running diagonally up her torso from her right hip to left shoulder blade.

With million more mouths that will be fed, she gritted her teeth and bore the pain without complain.

The war was dragging on for a bit too long.

It was almost time to input her plans for drastic counter measures.

She had a world to save (again).

/.

She really wanted to use the string of curse words she overheard from the Millefiore base when their dictator was in a prissy, pranking mood.

Having to deal with brainwashed Espers and Normals while fending off a mastermind Esper organisation is not a good way to start the holiday season.

Quickly shuffling through the nearly run-down faculty to salvage as much communication equipment as possible, she repaired what she could and hid herself.

No one knows how long this will take.

Maybe, except for her.

/.

"…ello? Can you hear me?"

Static noises sparked to life, sending the residents hidden underground into jitters.

"The speakers are working?" People murmured to each other, rising in volume quickly.

"Apologies for taking so long, but the evacuation starts now. All able bodies, please head to the lower vents at the corner… Yes, that grey wall with the vents. You will need to use your hands to dig, and fast. We don't have much time to escape a bombing from above."

The mutterings rose into semi-panicked noises, a frenzy building quickly before a couple of capable people organised the efforts into something workable.

Soon enough, a two-man wide hole was dug between the vents, and to their collective surprise, it was linked to an even larger tunnel that was lit with emergency lights.

"Proceed onward in an orderly fashion. Turn left at the tunnel intersection up ahead, but do not go upwards. I repeat, do not go upwards. You must keep walking straight until you hear water flowing, and then go to the path marked in green. Do hurry!" The speaker's voice was calm, but if one listened carefully they could sense the grim edge to it.

The crowd did make quite a fuss at the open cavern they reached as they noticed it has working elevators, as some people pleaded to those in front to allow the elderly and children to take those.

Luckily, someone remembered the warnings, and those pleas were rejected firmly before everyone was led forward.

And soon enough, once the last member escaped, the entire system behind them collapsed as they watch the faculty above them explode into a fiery tornado that scorched the very air they breathed.

Had anyone went there, there wouldn't be survivors. The small missile was dropped from beyond the atmosphere, no one could have seen the direction it was coming until it was too late.

They gave a moment of silence for the female voice guiding them. It sounded like an angel.

/.

"Please go to the right, and climb up the shaft. Remember, no more than 10 people at once!"

"Go behind the building, and then run for the red tower up ahead!"

"Turn back, and go to the clinic marked as Nephone, the doctor there will be able to give you the poison gas cure."

"Go to the bridge, and dig at the stone boulder shaped with two humps. There are food rations there you can distribute."

"Find the manhole with a picture of the president, it should be… two feet left from you. It's linked to the entire underground, so escape there!"

/.

All over the world, large and small groups of people were saved with timely intervention. Simple advice, given in a friendly enough yet firm tone that dictated their life and death.

Maybe no one noticed, but a number of these people invented new medicine, technology or provided much needed education for needy mere months down the road. Others were inventors, or signed up to be part of the rescue task force.

They called her the angel.

They remembered, even if no one else did.

/.

Every little bit might make a difference, she reminded herself.

She sat on the rusty chair next to the small, sealed container, glancing at it with sad eyes.

Flipping open her phone, she made a call.

/.

"Hello, even if you don't know who I am. There might be information I have, would you be interested to listen?"

A coarse sickly voice practically snarled into the receiver upon seeing the GPS coordinates.

"Who're you. And why do you have this number. No, in fact, why are you in _THAT_ place?!"

 _His comrades rested there._

"There are currently things more important than those, and I have a plan. Turn the ship and dock it at the nearest port, and stop the minister from being assassinated if you want to stop the Queen from reaching that final destination."

"What the hell do you want!" Objects floated haphazardly around the room as Hyoubu's temper flared, mentally signing death threats into the receiver.

"Neither of us wants her demise. This is one step to prevent it."

"…Tell me more."

At the end of it, some of them called her _Monster_.

/.

A lady calmly sat in her rocking chair, humming melodies as she carefully finished knitting another sweater for the kids in her care, joyous squeals resounding around the cozy, middle sized orphanage home for the war-torn children to grow safely in.

The backyard was rather peaceful, gold glints reflecting off the natural garden and her evergreen hair that fell to her knees, highlighting the curious orange tattoo beneath her eye.

Visitors came riding into the sunset, and she _knew._

Closing her eyes, she waited for her verdict.

"Wingless Angel-san, you are under arrest for illegal distribution of classified information, mass kidnapping, trespass, assault, being part of the head figures of the Esper War, and basically being impossible to block by all 5 continents."

/.

She looked up at the short cropped red hair of the woman staring tremulously at her, shaking hands holding onto a gadget she knew she'll have to wear for the rest of her life.

A click signified the dampening of her abilities, as she calmly noted the custom made pair of anti-ESP cuffs drowning her small wrists.

Looking back at the lady with the gadget, who was now starting to tear up, she smiled brightly at her.

"You're safe, Kaoru-san."

The Queen nodded quietly, returning a small smile. The white machine encircled her forehead and darkness overtook the light blue beeps signifying what's to come.

/.

The walk through the hallways was rather silent, with the legendary supervisor of The Children on her right and the Queen of B.A.B.E.L, no, the Espers of the world on her left escorting her to her new residence.

She may no longer be able to truly see, but she could barely make out the outbreak of whispers as her escorts passed.

Who they were talking about, that's up to anyone's guess.

She smiled.

/.

The conference room was round, air cool to the touch without being unbearable, despite her clothed in only a thin, simple white dress and pair of undergarments. Her bare feet slid across the smooth metal floor with ease and grace few ever possess, standing in front of her audience.

Fujiko Tsubomi stood from the masses, gathering the reports before enouncing in a clear voice that echoed across the double soundproofed, anti-spying walls reinforced with q-carbon.

"After gathering the UN leaders and other major players, a decision is passed. Have the unknown Esper take a variation of the ESP test, for power level confirmation and if it's above level 5, face a life sentence. If not, death penalty. Do you wish to make a plea?"

The director's voice was hard, but her eyes told a different story.

Calm, at ease with herself more than she ever was all those years ago, facing down a madman bent on making the world his toy, the prisoner bowed her head slightly.

"I accept."

Being guided to a metal dais to be pumped with questions didn't feel as different doing so voluntarily as compared to being drugged with lithium, she mused a bit morbidly.

The wires connected to the patches all over her body was rather new though.

"A snail is crawling on a razor blade. You want to use it. What would you do?"

She felt her lips twitching into a smile.

"Well…"

/.

She huffed a breath, feeling the mist curling slightly against her cheeks.

Rolling her wrists, she tried to get feeling back into them. Blood circulation was pretty bad when clad in heavy metal handcuffs, no matter the technology invested.

"I'm… sorry."

Perking slightly at the now-familiar voice, the prisoner turned in the direction of the voice. Kaoru.

"What for?"

"I… don't even know your name. Even after all you've done for all of us…"

She smiled gently, as if to a child in need of comfort.

"I chose my own actions, and took it into my hands. I knew my responsibilities, so I'm here now to take it up."

Kaoru blinked, stunned. As the thick ESP-resistant metal doors started to close on her, she nearly panicked.

Strapped snugly to the vision-reading machine with trusted B.A.B.E.L. certified researchers milling about, the girl gave a last sunny smile to Kaoru as her visor was finally lifted from the head gear.

"I'm Yuni, it's nice to meet you, Kaoru-san."

* * *

A/N: I… actually have no idea on the true ending of the Zettai Karen series. Feel free to educate me (y).

...Blame Psyren for suddenly intruding on my plot bunny while I was brushing my teeth as I mused the ending. *teleports away*

And yes, apart from ^ I wrote it in one sitting ahoy! Reviews are always welcome~


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